Salt Lake City, UT – 1000 people rallied and marched Feb 29, demanding justice for Abdullahi Omar Mohamed, who was shot and severely injured the night of Feb. 27, near the homeless shelter. Abdi Mohamed, a 17-year-old Black youth, engaged in a confrontation with a much older white man. Mohamed had an aluminum broom stick when the police arrived. They demanded he drop the broomstick and before he had a chance to comply they shot him multiple times. This sparked a rebellion among the homeless who clashed with police, resulting in 100 officers, many in riot gear, clearing the street.
Tampa, FL – Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) at the University of South Florida (USF) held a lecture and then a protest as part of Black History Month.
Minneapolis, MN – Around 200 people rallied and marched in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood against Islamopobia, Feb. 20. The protest was organized by a new coalition of some two dozen state organizations calling themselves Minnesotans Against Islamophobia.
San José, CA – On Feb. 14, nearly 300 people came to San José State University’s Morris Dailey Auditorium for the 36th Annual Day of Remembrance. This event commemorates the anniversary of Executive Order 9066 issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Feb. 19, 1942 that led to the incarceration of about 120,000 Japanese Americans in concentration camps during World War II.
Boyle Heights, CA – A great show of unity and solidarity against police abuse took place in Boyle Heights, Feb. 12, with a spirited protest of over 50 people. The Mendez family, friends, neighbors, supporters, activists and Centro CSO members protested at LAPD Hollenbeck police station over the Feb. 6 killing of Jose Mendez, a Boyle Heights teen. Protesters demanded justice for Jose Mendez and an end to police killings of our Chicano youth.
Los Angeles, CA – A contingent from the Boyle Heights-based Centro CSO received enthusiastic responses from the Black public at the annual MLK parade, which took place in the heart of the African American community. The delegation from Centro CSO carried a large banner reading “Dump Trump and right-wing racists.” Many in the large crowds applauded and chanted, “Dump trump now.” A CSO member carried a poster urging Black and brown unity.
Minneapolis, MN – On Dec. 26, Mall of America (MOA) security approached a 14-year-old black girl about being present at the mall without an adult. After being told to leave MOA, the child walked around on the transportation platform and began trying to get change for $20 for bus fare. It was at that point that she was violently tackled to the ground by MOA security. The brutal encounter was caught on video by a passerby who happened to witness the incident.
Minneapolis, MN – In an unprecedented attempt at halting the upcoming Black Live Matters Minneapolis gathering, the Mall of America has sued eight activists to compel them to immediately” post messages on social media and send out a mass text message announcing their Dec. 23 event is cancelled.
Minneapolis, MN – Chanting, “If Jamar don’t get it, shut it down!” hundreds of people marched Dec. 19 in frigid weather from the Fourth Police Precinct in north Minneapolis to city hall demanding justice for Jamar Clark. Clark, a 24-year-old African American man, was shot in the head and killed by the Minneapolis police on Nov. 15 on Plymouth Avenue in north Minneapolis, sparking an 18-day encampment at the Fourth Precinct to protest his killing. Today’s march was the largest protest since police dislodged the occupation in front of the Fourth Precinct on Dec. 3.
Tampa, FL – On Dec. 3, a dozen University of South Florida students gave out hundreds of flyers and dropped a banner in support of affirmative action for African American and Latino students. As part of the National Day to Demand Affirmative Action called by the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), chapters held events calling for increased African American enrollment, a defense of affirmative action and an end to racist admissions policies.
Dallas, TX – About 40 protesters gathered at the Grassy Knoll near downtown here, Nov. 21, to call out Texas Governor Greg Abbott's anti-refugee statements. Abbott recently declared that Texas would not accept Syrian refugees.
Salt Lake City, UT – More than two dozen protesters rallied outside the Salt Lake City school board meeting on Nov. 17, demanding an end to racist discrimination in employment. It comes in the guise of newly created and highly paid administrative positions all going to white candidates, while passing over highly qualified African Americans and other oppressed nationalities already employed by the school district.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 200 students gathered at the University of Minnesota (UMN), Nov. 12, to show solidarity with student protesters at the University of Missouri. The rally, organized by the UMN Black Student Union, consisted of speakers representing a number of different student and community groups, including Whose Diversity?, Students for Justice in Palestine, and APIs for Equity and Diversity.
Tampa, FL – Over 100 University of South Florida (USF) students and faculty members gathered on the steps of the Martin Luther King Plaza, Nov. 12, linking arms and holding a banner that declared “USF stands with Mizzou.”
Columbia, MO – On Nov. 9, both the president and chancellor of the University of Missouri announced their resignation after mass protests by the student body against racism on campus. The announcement came after about 30 African American players on the school's football team threatened to strike and not play Saturday's game if University President Tim Wolfe did not resign. Had the football strike taken place and the team not played, the school would have suffered a $1 million fine for breaking its contract with Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
On Nov. 9, University of Missouri President Timothy Wolfe resigned, under intense pressure from Black student protesters and activists at the University of Missouri, Columbia campus. Black students formed the organization, Concerned Students 1950, demanding University President Wolfe step down over his mishandling of racist incidents on campus as well as calling for an increase in Black student enrollment and Black faculty representation at the predominantly white university. Jonathan Butler, an African American graduate student even went on hunger strike, demanding President Wolfe resign. The student uprising and struggled tipped to a boiling point and got national attention when the Black Missouri football players threatened to strike, not playing another game until President Wolfe stepped down. Such a strike would have cost the university at least $1 million dollars in fines as well as a loss in other revenue, negatively affecting their bottom line.
Los Angeles, CA – Braving wind and rain, activists and immigrants stood in front of the Metropolitan Detention Center on Nov 2. They were there to demand an end to the detention of Central American children who are currently locked up in multiple facilities across the country.
Minneapolis, MN – More than 20 immigrant rights protesters marched into Wells Fargo Bank on Nicollet Avenue and Lake Street on Nov. 7. They held signs inside the bank then presented their demands to a regional bank manager. They demanded that Wells Fargo divest all money from the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and GEO Group.
